Return to the Main Page here.
Ash's team
Common tropes:
- I Know Your True Name: Ash knows the True Name of every single one of them. To compare, most Trainers don't know such a thing exists and those who do only know at most one of their Pokémon's True Names.
- Undying Loyalty: Everyone of them is fiercely loyal to Ash for various reason.
Pikachu
Ash's first Pokémon and greatest friend, he is actually the Team Leader and Ash's strongest opponent. His Nature is Mild.- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The reason Charizard listens to him when Pikachu berates him. Pikachu is so strong even he isn't sure he can defeat him.
- Berserk Button: Don't hurt Ash. Just don't. Charizard learned it the hard way.
- Elemental Punch: Mjollnir, which is a lightning-powered Iron Tail.
- Happily Married: Or mated since they are Pokémon, with Sunflower.
- The Hero: Of the Five-Man Band made by Ash's most used Mon.
- The Leader: Of Ash's team.
- Number Two: To Ash.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: Ridiculously small. Able to take on monsters way bigger than he is and win without breaking a sweat. Even a Legendary, though with some help.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Tries to be this and usually makes it.
Pidgeot
Ash's first caught Pokémon, he is one of the team's strongest members. At first reluctant to work with Caterpie, it changed after the bug's evolution. However, he has a thing against Fearow. His nature is Serious.- 11th-Hour Superpower: evolving into Pidgeot during his fight against Giovanni's Rhydon gave him new attacks and a way greater strength.
- Power-Up Mount: Ash sometimes uses him as a mount.
Butterfree
Ash's second caught Pokémon, he is a shy yet extremely strong Pokémon and the only one of the team to have a family. His Nature is Timid and Ash temporary released him.- 10-Minute Retirement: Temporary left Ash to be with his mate before deciding to stick to his side. His mate came along.
- Badass Family: Given how Bubble is, it's likely he'll end up ruling one ...
- Battle Couple: With his mate.
- Beware the Nice Ones: One of the sweetest members of Ash's team. Perfectly able to own you.
- Big Damn Heroes: He and Bubble saved Ash and the gang from a crazed Sabrina.
- Cowardly Lion: Prefers to avoid fighting and appears as weak as a Butterfree could be, but defeated even opponents who had an advantage against him.
- Happily Married: To Bubble, the pink Butterfree. The two even have kids.
- I Know Your True Name: It's Timid Rainbow.
- Love at First Sight: How he fell for Bubble.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Bubble is strong-willed and more than ready to use her strength. Butterfree is shy, gentle and usually a Nice Guy.
- Meaningful Name: Butterfree's True Name is Timid Rainbow.
- Papa Wolf: won't take to predators going for his kids.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: sure, Butterfree is purple, but Bubble is pink due to a color deficiency.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: one of Ash's smallest teammates. Still not to be underestimated.
- Retired Badass: Ash let him retire from Pokémon Battling at the end of the Indigo Conference so he could raise his children.
- So Proud of You: said almost word for words after his youngest son, Hard Candy, seriously cripples a Nuzleaf with Bug Buzz.
Clefable
A Pokémon Ash recruited on her mother's behalf, she quickly grew to become one of the boy's most dangerous fighters. A tomboy at heart with a knack for punching and fighting in general, she's kinda Pikachu's second in command. Her Nature is Brave.- Action Girl: One of the few girls in Ash's team. Is one of the heaviest hitters of the crew.
- Badass Adorable: Quite pretty as a Clefable. Can own Legendary ass.
- Cute Bruiser: As a Cleffa. People usually had the habit to ask if Ash was kidding when he got her out. She proved them wrong. All of them.
- The Big Guy: Of the Five-Man Band made with Pikachu, Charizard,Hitmontop, Mightyena and Axew.
- Combat Pragmatist: When outpowered, she uses every single dirty trick to win. Ash is counting on her.
- Good Is Not Soft: She's a good girl with a fiery temper to match.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: Has a serious knack for punching attacks.
- Groin Attack: Pulled it out against a Machamp. It didn't like it at all.
- Headbutt of Love: With Hitmontop, after admitting her feelings for him.
- Misery Builds Character: Discussed. She and Hard Candy were both outcasts due to their differences but according to her, this is why they are so strong. They must face challenges regular people don't have to face.
- Official Couple: despite being incompatible, she's become this with Hitmontop.
- Plucky Girl: She never gives up.
- Red Baron: The Steadfast Clefable
- Ship Tease: Heavily, with Hitmontop. Too bad they can't actually mate ..
- Signature Move: Drain Punch, which she inherited from her father.
- Tomboy: Oh so much ...
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Mightyena.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Hitmontop. And given they are from different egg groups, it isn't going to be resolved soon ...
Charizard
A Pokémon Ash rescued from a storm after his Trainer abandoned him, he is one of the boy's strongest Mon with Clefable and Pikachu. Though he had an unruly phase, an incident involving Ash in a coma made him change his mind and become the most loyal member of the Team.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Tag-teamed with Pikachu and Clefable to royally own a Zapdos, thus earning Ash his nickname of the Legendary Slayer.
- Heroic Vow: After the incident at Grandpa Canyon, Charizard swore on Reshiram, the Dragon of Truth, to only use Outrage in case of do-or-die situations. To Pokémon, breaking an oath made on Reshiram is sentenced with death.
- The Lancer: To Pikachu
- Large and in Charge: One of the most physically-imposing members of the crew. Team Leader while Pikachu's away.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After sending Ash in a coma. It's enough to break him out of his rebellious spirit and become utterly devoted to the kid.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: What his Heroic Vow roughly amounts to. Charizard knows full-well what he can do under Outrage and only uses it when he has no other choice, as it makes him dangerous enough to kill his own Trainer in a fit of rage.
- Unstoppable Rage: Supersonic + Outrage = a crazed and overpowered flame dragon that destroys everything in his way ... even his Trainer.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Was on the receiving end of this from Pikachu after said rampage, leading to the aforementioned Heroic Vow. Hurting one's Trainer is Serious Business.
Bulbasaur
A Pokémon abandoned by his previous Trainer, he developed a distrust for humans that stopped after witnessing Ash struggle to save his adoptive village. He doesn't want to evolve and wears an Everstone armband to do so. He can also, thanks to the Ancient Queen Dana, use any single attack of his evolutionary line, which makes up for pretty interesting fights ... His Nature is Serious.
- Badass Adorable: As adorable as your average cute Bulbasaur. Able to win against massive type advantages.
- Didn't See That Coming: Delivers it more than anyone else in the team thanks to Dana's gift.
- Meaningful Name: Vibrant Sapling. This is a small young Pokémon who can pack a major punch.
- Not Allowed to Grow Up: Evolving makes Pokémon grow up. Refusing to do so means Bulbsaur is struck as a child. Not that he complains ...
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The little thing is small, yet can use attacks such as Power Whip, Leaf Storm, Solar Beam and Frenzy Plant.
- Supernatural Aid: After witnessing his determination to remain a Bulbasaur, the Ancient Queen Dana allowed him to use any move in his evolutionary line to compensate. This proved to be vital more than once.
Blastoise
A Pokémon abandoned by his Trainer and the leader of a band of rogue Squirtle, he joined Ash after the later saved him, thus contracting a debt toward him. Though not exactly weak, he is one of the least powerful members of the group and works hard to grow in strength. His Nature is Impish.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: he vs. a group of giant Onix. Size doesn't matter when your main weakness is your opponent's primary type. Later dished one to Gary's Blastoise upon evolution.
- Glasses Pull: Inverted. He puts on his Cool Shades after Charizard acknowledges him as one of the strongest members of Ash's team. Oh yeah!
- I Owe You My Life: Has a life debt toward Ash he intends to repay.
- Meaningful Name: Now he is a Blastoise, he can evolve into Mega-Blastoise, whose main ability is Mega Launcher. Those blasts are gonna be really heavy ...
- Superweapon Surprise: Was on the receiving end of that when Lorelei's Lapras used Thunder.
- Took a Level in Badass: Evolving into Wartortle gave him a much-needed boost in strength. Then he became a Blastoise and got even stronger.
Haunter
A curious Pokémon Ash met at Lavender Town, he always had a lust for adventure that pushed him to join Ash when he sought the help of Ghost Pokémon against Sabrina. He is actually the middle child of his three siblings and his Nature is Quirky. He and Mightyena work as Ash's primary defense against Ghost and Psychic Pokémon.
- Astral Projection: He and Ash set it up for pranking and spying purposes.
- Badass Bookworm: Loves reading as much as pulling a punch.
- Jumped at the Call: So there's a friendly Trainer who needs your help to defeat a powerful Gym Leader. Well, what are we waiting for? World, here I come!
- Meaningful Name: Shadow Grin. He is a Ghost Pokémon who is always smiling.
- Not Allowed to Grow Up: Like Bulbasaur, he is perfectly fine Under this form and wears an Everstone ring.
Hitmontop
A mute Pokémon Ash got as a Tyrogue, the two share a friendly relationship rather than being Trainer and Pokémon. His best friend is Clefable and his wish was to become a Hitmontop to continue the Hitmon line started by his grandfather. His Nature is Modest.
- Battle Couple: With Clefable
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Against Gary's Blastoise. The turtle couldn't land a hit and got thoroughly trounced. Then Alakazam got out, went berserk and Hitmontop was on the receiving end of an overpowered Psychic due to Taking the Bullet for Ash.
- Cute Mute: Lost his voice after a Scyther cut his vocal cords.
- Foil: To Clefable
- Handicapped Badass: He is mute.
- Headbutt of Love: With Clefable, after both admitted their feelings for one another.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Took a Psychic from Gary's Alakazam he intended to be for Ash.
- Meaningful Name: A mute Hitmontop called Silent Hope.
- Official Couple: With Clefable, despite their different egg groups.
- Roundhouse Kick: His preferred method of fighting, in opposition to Clefacle's Good Old Fisticuffs.
- Ship Tease: With Clefable.
- The Smart Guy: Of the Five-Man Band.
- Taking the Bullet: For Ash, with Gary's crazed Alakazam's Psychic. Being a Fighting type, Psychic-type attacks are his biggest weakness ...
- Technician Versus Performer: The technician to Clefable's performer. His attacks are weak but efficient and his ability is even called Technician!
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Clefable. In spades. And since they are in different egg groups, it won't be solved anytime soon ...
Mightyena
A Pokémon originating from Hoenn, Ash rescued her from a swarm of Beedrill and saved her from poison, earning her loyalty. She is the team's motherly figure and grew from a weak and naive little girl into a powerful fighter. Her Nature is Naive.
- Action Girl: Which makes her closer to Clefable than Sandslash and Wigglytuff, despite being The Heart of the Five-Man Band made by Ash's main Mon.
- Action Mom: Has apparently adopted a little Rattata called Twilight Fang.
- Badass Adorable: As a Poochyena, she tied with Blaine's Ninetales for her first Gym Battle.
- Cool Big Sis: Toward Nina, her cloned little sister.
- 11th-Hour Superpower: Being possessed by Ash through Aura, thus allowing her to defeat Gary's crazed Alakazam.
- I Know Your True Name: Nightsong. Quite fitting for a Team Mom.
- Lady of War
- Mama Bear: Don't ever think about messing with the Corral's younger inhabitants. She will wreck you.
- Mental Fusion: Ash used Aura to fusion their minds and give her his Aura powers, resulting in the above 11th-Hour Superpower.
- Parental Substitute: To Axew.
- Take a Third Option: During the fight against the cloned Pokémon, rather than fighting her clone, she managed to evolve and took hers away from the fighting area. Said clone did nothing, as she knew perfectly Mightyena was naturally stronger now and fighting her was a bad idea.
- Team Mom: Lucky Lucky even mentions she plays nanny for the younger members of the corral.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Clefable
- Took a Level in Badass: Under Ash's tutelage.
Wigglytuff
A Pokémon that Ash took in his team after promising her he would help her master Sing, she is very feminine and, despite looking rather weak, possesses a strength not to be underestimated. Her greatest passion is singing and her Nature is Sassy.
- Badass Adorable: Among the prettiest members of the team. Her signature attacks allow her to put you to sleep or take you down with her.
- Badass Bookworm: Knows how to read and does it from times to times;
- Girly Girl: Even more than Mightyena. Also serves as The Heart of the team, overall speaking.
- Make Me Wanna Shout: Her voice-based attacks are especially powerful.
- Meaningful Name: Soft Lullaby. Her Sing attack is especially efficient.
- Taking You with Me: her signature Perish Song, which allowed her to take Blaine's Rhyhorn and a giant Steelix.
Aerodactyl
A prehistoric Pokémon met by Ash at the Grandpa Canyon, his actions drove Charizard mad and caused him to hurt Ask, sparkling a fierce hatred between the two. Despite this and feeling remorseful, he willingly joined Ash to atone for his wrongs. His Nature is Hardy.
- The Atoner: His reason for joining the team. He felt remorseful for driving Charizard crazy, leading to Ash ending in a coma.
- Heel–Face Turn: Thanks to Ash's powers, he went from aggressive to totally tame.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Kabutops and Omastar, the other two Fossil Pokémon.
- Power-Up Mount: Was used as a ride several times, especially by Brock's younger brother.
- The Rival: To Charizard.
- True Name: Razor Fang.
Sandslash
An incredibly shy Pokémon Ash received as a Sandshrew, it is one of the kindest members of the team and is counted as being among the weakest. However, being in Ash's team means one thing: she isn't. Her nature is Bashful.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Oh so much! This little creature that shied away from practically everything? She took down a freaking giant Haunter that had knocked Ash and the rest of his team after opening a can of Heroic Resolve and evolving into Sandslash. The ghost never saw it coming.
- The Heart: Of the crew as a whole, even more than Mightyena and Wigglytuff.
- Heroic Resolve: Opens a can of it when faced with Black Fog, the giant Haunter of the power plant. Cue her evolving into Sandslash and beating it to a pulp.
- This Is Unforgivable!: To Black Fog mind-raping Ash. It is quickly followed by a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner"This I won't forget. And I won't forgive. Black Fog, I am bringing you down."
- Meaningful Name: Her name is Sandy Claw. Sandslash is a Ground Pokémon with quite huge claws.
- Shrinking Violet: Her definite personality trait.
- Threshold Guardian: Seeing Ash under Mind Rape and being on her own to save him is enough to turn this morbidly shy little girl into a killing machine.
Fearow
A Pokémon Ash caught to disband a Spearow flock, Fearow was utterly rebellious for a long time before an incident changed his mind and turned him into a truly loyal companion. He has a rivalry with Pidgeot and his Nature is Naughty.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He is the head of the flock because he is the toughest bastard of them.
- Cassandra Truth: firmly believes Ash is the Chosen with a Golden Heart. He is right.
- Heel–Face Turn: After coming into contact with said heart. Even a rebellious criminal must surrender to the might of The Chosen One.
- Patricide: Killed his own father to take the head of the flock.
- The Rival: To Pidgeot.
- True Name: Hard Beak
Axew
A baby Pokémon that hatched after the incident with Mewtwo, he was immediately adopted by the team and especially Mightyena, who gave him his True Name. Very childish and innocent, he has a Gentle nature and a lot of potential ...
- Badass Adorable: His first attack was Dragon Pulse. He used it to free Ash before Proton could knife him, and then to knock the man's Crobat.
- Cheerful Child: Has shades of this.
- Children Are Innocent: Until his father got in trouble before his eyes, that is ...
- Cuteness Proximity: Evoked it the moment he was born.
- Game-Breaker: His Dragon Pulse. No Pokémon of his level has a move equally powerful, nor the ability to tank said move.
- Happily Adopted: by Mightyena and Ash.
- I Just Want to Be Badass: His greatest wish is to be able to fight like Ash's stronger teammates, rather than being treated like a Naïve Newcomer.
- Kamehame Hadoken: What Dragon Pulse looks like.
- Lampshade Hanging: When he starts training and the team explain him the different principles behind Pokémon battles, Axew is quick to comment about the STAB mechanism.Axew: The stab?Pikachu: STAB stands for Same Type Attack Bonus. That's an expression the humans use when your move is more powerful because it's the same type as you. Since you are a Dragon, any move of the Dragon type will benefit from the bonus due to you also being a Dragon. It won't be the case with Night Slash or Cut, though.Axew: It sounds like 'to stab'.Onix: Well, getting a power boost can make a move pretty painful, especially a high-level one. The same way, being stabbed by something pointy and sharp is both painful and dangerous. It's harder to heal a knife wound than a cut. I guess the humans must've had fun coming with the name …
- Meaningful Name: He is a baby Pokemon. His True Name is Baby Tooth.
- Naïve Newcomer: Starts Pokémon Training after the events at Shamouti, but often suffers from his lack of experience.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: His first attack was a double Dragon Pulse strong enough to knock a fully grown man out like a light. He later used the canalized version to One-Hit KO a Crobat.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: So cute he evoked Cuteness Proximity the moment he was born.
- Signature Move: Dragon Pulse, which he usually uses as a finisher. He even pulls out a Calling Your Attack with it when fighting Nidoran!
- Tagalong Kid / Sixth Ranger: To the Five-Man Band made by the crew.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: His first attack was revealed when Proton nearly killed Ash. It didn't end well for the man.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Has close to no experience in Pokémon Battling. His first move was Dragon Pulse, which is considered a Game-Breaker in low-level Pokémon Battling, and he is able to hold his own alone against a Trainer's Pokémon.
- You Leave Him Alone!: His reaction to Proton's murder attempt on Ash. Cue Traumatic Superpower Awakening and Curb-Stomp Battle.
Lapras
A young Pokémon who was separated from her herd and saved from bullies by Ash, she became the team's mean of travelling across the Orange Islands. Ash befriended her using his Healer's powers. Though weak at first, she progressively learned from her teammates to become as strong as any of Ash's teammates. Her Nature is Brave.
- Badass Adorable: Basically a child to her species' standards and a very gentle creature. After her leveling in Badass, she can pack a lot of punch.
- Nice Girl: Lampshaded by her True Name.
- Power-Up Mount: The group uses her as a ride across the islands.
- Took a Level in Badass: Thanks to her teammates helping her, she learned several very interesting moves to power-up her arsenal. Then she learned Freeze Dry ...
- True Name: Innocent Smile
- Weak, but Skilled: At the beginning, she's essentially this. Her moves are weak, but she's incredibly efficient with them.
Onix
A creature Ash met on an island of glass blowers, he rescued her from Rocket Rebels and was wounded in the process. Caught during the fight, she remains with him so the Rebels won't get their hands on her again. One of the oldest and, with Pikachu, the most experienced of the group. Her body is made of crystal and her Nature is Timid.
- Blessed with Suck: Sure, her crystal body is pretty and has some nice sides, but it means people will go to great lengths to see her or even catch her. And nothing says they'll use her for Pokémon battling ... A beast so precious, you don't pit it against creatures that could damage that pretty hide, right? Also, remember how some poachers hunt Pokémon for their jewels and hides?
- Cool Old Lady: It is implied that Onix is quite old compared to the other team members. She's also quite nice, especially toward Lapras.
- Meaningful Name: Frozen Tide. Her body is made of crystal, which can be confused with solidified water.
- Never Mess with Granny: She's implied to be very old, but that doesn't slow her down even a little bit.
- One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce: Due to her crystalline body, Onix is pure Rock-type, which means some of her species' weaknesses are removed or lessened. Furthermore, rather than being weak to Water, she is weak to Fire, which melts her hide.
- Samus Is a Girl: during her introduction to the group, she quietly corrected them when they called her a 'he'e. Needless to say some jaws fell ...
Snorlax
A Pokémon Ash caught through negociation. In return for lending Ash his strength when he needs it, Snorlax can eat and sleep as much as he wants. He is incredibly powerful and serves as the team's main tank. His Nature is Lax.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: often reigns in Axew's enthusiasm when he starts training and remains cool-headed whenever the little dragon is involved.
- True Name: Swift Fat
Rapidash
A Shiny Pokémon Ash rescued from a landslide as a Ponyta. Her mane and the flames she breathe are as blue as the sky.